Hunting and fishing licenses for the 2017-2018 season are now available

Jan 24, 2017

Recreational fishing and hunting licenses for the 2017-2018 season, which begins April 1, 2017, are available for sale today.

Typically, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) begins to sell the upcoming year’s licenses in December.

“With the release of our new licensing system last month, we opted to delay selling 2017-18 licenses in order to avoid printing licenses from two separate systems, with slightly different formatting, for a single license year,” said Peter Vernie, the department’s licensing division manager.

With an additional month to refine the system, WDFW is now ready to process 2017-18 licenses, he added.

Additional dates to note:

Special hunt applications for most big game species will be available after the Fish and Wildlife Commission approves the 2017-2018 hunting season framework at its meeting in April in Spokane

Spring bear hunters hoping to draw a permit for 2017 can purchase their application now, and will be able to submit for their preferred hunt choice online from Feb. 15 through midnight, Feb. 28. The spring bear drawing will occur in early March.

License fees for the 2017-2018 season have not changed from the previous year.